Electric motor mounting and drive mechanism for toys



Jan. 19, 1932. HANLEY, 7 1,842,021

ELECTRIC MOTOR MOUNTING AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TOYS Filed June 4, 1950 zzyz TB 1 22 25 76 Z I 25 20 xi:

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Patented Jan. 19, 1932 UNITE STATES JOHN A. HANLEY, F IRVINGTON, NEW JERSE ELECTRIC MOTOR IvIOUNTING AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TOYS Application filed .Tune 4,

One object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction for mounting an electric motor in wheeled toys, for example toy electric trains, which shall be simpie and inexpensive in construction and susceptible of mass production.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved four-Wheeled drive mechanism for power driven wheeled toys whereby a maxilU mum of driving power is obtained from the motor.

Other objects are to provide a motor mounting and drive mechanism for wheeled toys, including a single piece of sheet metal so shaped and stamped as .to provide supporting means and bearings for the motor and the wheels of the toy, whereby manufacture of the parts and assem ly thereof shall be simple and inexpensive; to provide such a construction including a minimum number of simple gear connections, and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding and like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor mounting and drive mechanism for a wheeled 5U toy, showing the same applied to the car of a toy electric train which is shown in vertical longitudinal section.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View on I the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan View of the mechanism and Fi 'ure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

A; Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates a body formed of a single sheet of metal having flanges or ears 1 at each of the longitudinal sides for attaching the body to a toy casing, for example the W car B of a toy electric train. These flanges Serial No. 459,136.

may have openings 2 to receive bolts or the like 3 for securing the body to the car casing. The body is also formed with integral bearing lugs 4 to support the wheels of the toy, there being two pairs of said lugs one of each of which is arranged at each longitudinal side of the body. These lugs have openings in which are journaled shafts or axles 5 to which are connected wheels 6. The bearings 4 project from the body A in a direction opposite to that of the flanges 1 as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

Upon one of the axles 5 and between the corresponding bearing lugs 4, is a face gear '7 with which meshes a pinion 8 secured to a shaft 9 of the motor for driving the toy. This shaft is vertically disposed in the/coy at substantiallyright angles to the axis of the axle 5 and journaled in a bearing 10 in the body A in substantially a common axial plane with said axle.

The motor is an electric one, and includes a laminated three-pole armature 11 of known construction having windings 12 connected in series, as usual. These windings are also connected to the segments 13 of a commutator which is of the same construction as the commutator described and claimed in my copending application Serial Number 415,145,

led December 19, 1929. g

These commutator segments are mounted in insulating washers 14 on the shaft 9, and each has an extension 15 connected to the corresponding windings 12.

At its end opposite the bearing 10, the shaft is journaled in a bearing 16 in the form of a hollow rivet, mounted in an inverted U- shaped bracket 17 having the extremities of its arms secured by' bolts 18 to the top of a U-shap-ed field pole member 19. This field pole member isgenerally of known construction, embracing the armature between the extremities of its arms and having a field winding 20 surrounding its base portion. The field pole member is secured to the body A. by the bolts 18 passing through support arms 37 preferably stamped integrally from the two bearing lugs 4 which support the axle 5 to which the shaft 9 is geared, the field winding assisting in supporting the pole member on the body. One terminal of the field winding is grounded on the body 1 by a wire 21 connected to one of the bolts 18, while the other terminal is electrically connected to one brush 22 by a wire 23. This brush and the other brush 24 are physically connected as by hollow rivets 25 to an insulating yoke 26 secured by the hollow rivet 16 to the shaft bearing bracket 17. The brushes 22 and 2st contact with the commutator at opposite sides thereof as usual, and the brush 2st is connected by a resilient strip 27 to a roller shoe 28 adapted to run on an electricity conducting rail 29 which is connected in an electric circuit in known manner with one of the track rails 30 of an electric train system. The lower end of the strip 27 is guided by an insulating support 1 which has an opening 32 to loosely receive the strip and is connected by a rivet 33 to an ear 34 stamped integrally from the body A.

Preferably all four wheels 6 are driven, and this is accomplished by mounting upon each axle 5 a pulley 35 around which passes a belt 36 which is preferably a helically coiled spring having its ends connected together so that the belt is maintained under uniform tension.

In operation, assuming that the track rails 30 and the conducting rail 29 are connected in electric circuit, when the current is turned on, the electricity passes through the shoe roller 28 to the brush 24L, thence through the commutator, armature winding and the field winding back to one of the track rails. The armature of the motor is thus rotated, and, through the direct geared connection 7, 8, drives one of the axles 5. The other axle is driven directly by the belt and pulleys 36 and 35.

It will be observed that the device is composed of a minimum number of simple parts which can be easily and cheaply manufactured and assembled; and a maximum of driving power is obtained from the motor for driving the wheels 6.

lVhile I have shown and described the invention as embodied in certain details of construction it should be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention, and that many modifications and changes may be made in the construction of the device without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An electric motor and mounting therefor comprising a body plate having a pair of integral support lugs stamped therefrom and projecting upwardly from one side thereof, a substantially U-shaped field pole member having an arm thereof secured to each of said support lugs, a field winding on said pole member, an inverted U-shaped bearing bracket having each of its arms secured to one arm of said field pole member at the side thereof opposite said body, an armature shaft between the arms of said pole member and journaled in said bearing bracket and said body plate at substantially right angles to the latter, an armature and a commutator on said shaft, and brushes contacting with said commutator and mounted on said bearing bracket and insulated therefrom.

2. In combination, a motor mounting and drive mechanism comprising a body plate having a pair of integral bearing lugs projecting from each of opposite edges of the plate, an axle journaled in said bearing lugs, wheels on said axle, a face-gear on said axle, a pair of integral support lugs stamped one from each of said bearing lugs and projecting from the opposite side of the body plate, a substantially U-shaped field pole member having one arm thereof secured to each of said support lugs, a field winding on said pole member, an inverted U-shaped bearing bracket having each of its arms secured to one arm of said field pole member at the side thereof opposite said body, an armature shaft between the arms of said pole member and journaled in said bearing bracket and said body plate at substantially right angles to the latter, an armature and a commutator on said shaft, and brushes contacting with said commutator and mounted on said bearing bracket and insulated therefrom, and a pinion on said shaft meshing with said face-gear.

3. In combination, a motor mounting and drive mechanism comprising a body plate having a pair of integral bearing lugs projecting from each of opposite edges of the plate, an axle ournaled in said bearing lugs, wheels on said axle, a face-gear 011 said axle, a motor mounted on said plate and including a drive shaft disposed in a common plane with said axle, a pinion on said drive shaft meshing with said face-gear, said body plate having a second pair of bearing lugs, a second axle, wheels on the second axle, and a belt and pulley driving connection between the two axles.

JOHN A. HANLEY. 

